17 Chapter 17: Evolution Poin (1/2)

Wilhelm sharpened the dagger until the sunlight disappeared. Forthwith, instead of the sun, the moon and stars came out. They irradiated their beautiful luminescence onto the lake, causing it to sparkle with a prepossessing beauty.

He admired this scene for a few moments before standing up and stretching his limbs. The blade in his hands was slightly rough. However, it would cut remarkably well—he made sure of that.

After mentally preparing himself, he sauntered toward a location near the ant nest. If he moved too close to the nests, then the creatures would be able to call for help. Furthermore, there was no telling if the Primera's were nearby.

With this in mind, he decided to move into a branched off pathway, just a few dozen meters away from the dens. He laid in wait, crouching behind a significantly large crack in the ground. There was no perfect way to hunt, but he could be rest assured that there would be a few visitors tonight.

His stomach once again rumbled in protest as he waited. The last thing he had eaten was that grottenburg, which was an entire day ago. The more he exerted his body, the hungrier he became.

Thankfully, he could ignore his hunger for a substantial duration of time, and focus on the task at hand. His eyes and ears were constantly on high-alert, never resting, not even for a single moment. The dagger was alway brandished in the perfect location, ready to thrust when necessary.

Like this, minutes turned into hours, and Wilhelm waited for a total of three before finally, the sound footstep rang in his ears. The sound of clicking and mandibles pressing against each other echoed out from the entrance.

Dirt and rocks were being moved by a small squadron of ants. They were busy making more tunnels, escape routes, and delivering food to their queen. Their work-ethic was exceptional, and not a single ant took a break, nor moved sluggishly.

Unfortunately for them, however, they didn't notice the human figure spying on them from afar. Wilhelm stealthily crept onto the ants from behind, his dagger gleaming ominously. The busy ants weren't able to notice a single thing.

Slowly but surely, Wilhelm reached the back of one of the digging ants. Without hesitation, he thrust his blade downward, embedding it into the ant's neck. It squirmed and squealed as its blood flowed out like a river.

The loud noises and movement alerted the other members of the squadron. They growled dangerously as they rushed toward Wilhelm, attempting to save their kin. Seeing this, Wilhelm quickly finished off his foe and backed off.

He stared the rest of the ants in the eyes. They were a group of around eight, each one with a different distinct feature. Some of them were red, while others were black. A few of the unique ones even possessed a greenish thorax.

Wilhelm presumed this to be the work of evolution, so he didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he cautiously circled the group of ants, cutting off their escape route. Even if they were aware of his presence, he was still much stronger than them.

In response to his threatening movements, a few of the ants didn't hesitate to attack. They were rather brainless creatures, commanded by the hive-mind. The three that charged forward looked somewhat standard, with an ordinary red carapace and thorax.

The ant in front was quicker than the rest and soon reached Wilhelm's figure, where it then lunged forward and chopped down with its thick mandibles.

Wilhelm squinted his eyes and maneuvered to the right, barely dodging the lunging ant. He then leaped backward, avoiding the other two and landing next to the first ant. Before they could even react, he stabbed his dagger into the first ant's antennae.

It squealed in anguish and caused a few of the other ants to join the midst. Soon, a group of six ants surrounded Wilhelm, cutting off all paths of possible retreat. The injured Formicidae was especially angry, grinding its jaws together.

Without its antennas, its sight and sense of direction would be impaired. Although most ants were capable of sight, it was rather lackluster. They usually relied on their other senses, which came from their antennae.

Suddenly, one of the ants with a green thorax turned its body around and shot a ball of acid from its behind. It coursed and sizzled through the air, shocking Wilhelm. The surprise attack caught him off guard, and he only had enough time to evade a lethal blow.

It landed onto his shoulders, burning a layer of skin straight off. The smell of burning flesh wafted up into the air, causing Wilhelm frown and scrunch up his nose. A few beads of sweat trailed down the sides of his face as he tightened his jaw.

”God damn, that stings,” he cursed whilst rubbing his burnt shoulder. He was a man who could tolerate all kinds of pain. However, that didn't mean he was immune to feeling discomfort, burning, and injuries.